Tillandsia Paradise

Our road trip last Dec/Jan took us to LA, and Rainforest Flora was on our short list of must see nurseries down there. Located in Torrance, their Tillandsia oasis was cooler than we could imagine. Yeah, we’re Air Plant junkies too.

Tillandsias galore.

Why is Rainforest Flora so awe-inspiring? Since 1993, they’ve been growing every single Tillandsia they sell…aka, no plants are harvested from the wild. Considering their volume rivals any major player in the world, it was no small task.

Zululand cycad - Encephalartos ferox.

They have a bunch of other fun tropicals too such as this impressive Zululand cycad (Encephalartos ferox). BTW, this rich orange cone was about the size of a football.

Also inside the nursery is a large Koi pond with plant encrusted rocks jetting out of the water. See more of the awesomeness on our Flickr.

Last year Paul T. Isley III, one of the original founders, came to speak at our SF Bromeliad Society. There we got an intimate look at his 22 years of dedication to produce one of the most comprehensive books on air plants, Tillandsia II.

Demo garden outside garden.

Rainforest Flora, Torrance CA

Before leaving, we added a couple new plants to our collection including the one in our last bloom day, Tillandsia crocata. It’s the most fragrant Tilly that we’ve encountered. Glad we made the pilgrimage from SF to Rainforest. Onward to explore the rest of LA.

6 Comments

aloha guys, what a sweet place to visit – quite impressive….you were in the neighborhood of lotus land, the mecca of succulents, bromeliads, cycads, palms and unusuals….i’m almost drooling thinking about it…worth a trip down there alone

love all the improvements in your garden lately…i’m glad the warm weather is making your garden look great

Oh my! What a treasure chest. That opening image alone is enough for a visit. I can’t imagine such a place. The plants look otherwordly even to someone accustomed to the unusual. Thanks for posting.
Happy Epiphyte Day!
David